LITMIR.BIZ

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to bop him over the head for not warning her that aside from his menagerie, they hadn’t been alone last night.

      Dan scoped out the scene and arched a brow at Erin’s state of embarrassment. “Darla, I’d like you to meet, Erin. Erin, this is Darla. She lives in the guesthouse on the property with her husband, Ted. Ted is foreman on the ranch.”

      Darla did her best to hide a smile, yet the silent communication going on between the two didn’t fool her. And Dan’s expression was bordering a grin. The rat. He’d known all along what she’d been thinking, but he’d also been quick to relieve her embarrassment.

      Erin’s cheeks began to cool as she sat quietly at the kitchen table while the housekeeper served the coffee. Dan walked over to the dog’s bed in the corner of the room, crouched down and gave the animal a once-over. Lucky was already terribly in love. As Dan gave his head a pat, the dog scooted closer, licking Dan’s hand, arm and face. Dan ate it up, displaying a killer smile. “Hey, boy, looks like you filled your belly a bit.”

      The water in his bowl was almost gone too. And when Dan straightened his body and stood, Lucky was right there, curling his body around his legs. He shot Erin a quick look. “Excuse me. I’ve got to take him out to deal with nature.”

      “Of course.”

      Dan walked out the back door leading to a beautifully sculptured garden. Lucky had limped behind him to relieve himself in the tall grass and then follow Dan back inside the house. As he took his seat facing her, Lucky camped out beside Dan at the table. Maybe they should’ve named him Shadow.

      Dan seemed totally at ease, while Erin was at a loss, wondering if they should discuss what had happened between them. She didn’t know what to make of a one-night stand. She’d never done anything like this before. The few men she’d been with sexually she’d dated and had a relationship with. She’d never gone home with a guy she’d picked up in a bar.

      Well, that wasn’t exactly how it had happened with Dan. There were extenuating circumstances that had brought her to Dan’s ranch. But that didn’t diminish the fact they barely knew anything about each other. They’d had carnal sex last night, and emotions shouldn’t get in the way. But Erin truly liked Dan. Sheesh, after last night, how could she not?

      Darla served the food and then disappeared into another room of the house.

      “Have some breakfast, Erin,” Dan said. “You should eat.”

      “I’m not much of a breakfast person. Coffee and toast is fine.”

      She made a production of lathering butter on her toast and then stared at it on her plate. Dan was so not a talker, so where did that leave her? She didn’t want to be the cliché woman clinging to a man. She didn’t want to ask, where did they go from here?

      Dan sipped coffee and then cleared his throat. “I’ll drive you to your car after breakfast.”

      “That’s not necessary. I called a cab.”

      “Already?” He seemed truly surprised.

      “Yes, a bit earlier this morning. The ranch is quite a ways out. I figured it might take a while for a taxi to get here.”

      Dan pursed his lips and leaned in, bracing his folded arms on the table. “I like you, Erin.”

      “I like you too, Dan.”

      “I, uh, don’t want to be a jerk about this because last night was incredible, but I don’t do long-term commitments and I don’t think you’re the kind of woman—”

      “I get it. You don’t have to say anything more.” Oh man. He was about to hit her with the I’m-not-good-with-relationships speech. She didn’t want to hear it. She knew the drill. But somehow she was gravely hurt and disappointed because, for her, last night had been about more than sex. It had been about relating to another human being. It had been about opening up and, yes, taking a risk. But Dan had laid down the rules. And she wasn’t going to break a one of them. “Last night was amazing but that’s where we’ll leave it. Okay, Dan?”

      He blinked a few times. For a second, he seemed uncertain and that was a small triumph.

      “Yep,” he said finally.

      She took a bite of her toast and prayed the taxi wouldn’t take too long to arrive.

      * * *

      Dan hated putting Erin in a cab. It seemed so impersonal. So doggone harsh. But she’d insisted and in the end, he’d thought maybe it was better that way. He gave her an awkward kiss and stood on the porch at Hunt Acres, surrounded by Rio, Buggy, Juliet and the rest, watching the yellow car drive off his property.

      Once she was gone, he was struck by a deep sense of loss. Had he made a colossal mistake letting her go? Not even asking for her phone number.

      “Fool,” he said. She must think him an entitled rich bastard for sending her off that way. Hell, he would agree. Thirty-one years old and he was still pushing people away. Or rather, he pushed women away. He wasn’t one to get caught up in a relationship that would eventually go awry. He liked his life the way it was. Risk-free. With no chance of getting injured. With no chance of being abandoned. Again.

      Erin seemed different. Special. She was the first woman in a long time that he’d truly liked. It wasn’t wise liking her so much. Dan was a loner and he wanted to keep his life simple. It was the standard he lived by these days. Don’t get too close, don’t allow anyone in. He kept his scars hidden, where they belonged. His dogs and cats filled the void that could otherwise consume him. And so he’d made up his mind after an incredible night together, that’s where it had to end. He wasn’t going to get involved with her. They’d met by chance, not by design.

      Yet the look in her aquamarine eyes as she’d climbed into the back of that taxi popped into his head and hinted at disappointment and regret, hidden by a healthy dose of pride.

      Dan strode into his study and sat at his desk. His computer counted some thirty-odd emails for him to go through. Hunt and Company, the family business that supplied beef to restaurants nationwide and ran its own chain of steak houses, chunked out a big portion of his life and he had a heavy workload to get through today. He opened the first email, narrowing his eyes, trying to make heads or tails of the message on the screen. The words didn’t make a lick of sense because his mind was elsewhere.

      “Is she gone?” Darla’s voice broke into his scattered thoughts.

      Grateful for the intrusion, he mentally thanked her for saving him from twenty-nine more daunting emails. Swiveling around in his chair, he faced his housekeeper. These days, she tended to keep more than his house, and some part of him appreciated that. “Yes. Erin is gone.”

      “You didn’t drive her?”

      Dan shook his head. “She was stubborn about it.”

      “She out-stubborned you?” Her voice reached a pitch of incredibility. It was not a compliment.

      A chuckle rose from his throat, but with a hefty dose of guilt too. He hadn’t fought Erin hard enough on that battle. “Yeah, guess so.”

      “Too bad. I liked her.”

      “You liked her?” Dan’s brows gathered. “Is that some secret woman perception thing? You only just met her, how do you know you liked her?”

      “Because, you liked her.” She sighed and gave her head a shake. She was twenty years his senior and at times took to mothering him. “And let’s face it, this house has been lacking female attention for a long time. Erin was very nice. She colored up redder than a greenhouse tomato when I walked into the room. That says something about a gal.”

      Dan noticed too and he’d tried to remedy her discomfort. “She helped me with the dog last night.”

      “I have no doubt.” His housekeeper’s smile was a little too bright.

      “Hey Darla, give a guy a break, okay?”

      She

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